dying casaurina

[simonm]

hey

i recently dug up 2 casaurina's out of my backyard, they were both really small, about 10 cm tall at max. i chucked one of them away a while ago because i damaged the rootes in the digging up, now the second tree is looking the same as the first tree. its leaves have gone a dull grey and look like they are drying out
i tried watering it more but that didnt help so now i am trying not watering it, so it stays the same as the natural place i took it from.
it is still alive but only just, the wood under the bark is pale pale green.

is there any advice anyone can give me?

[Jamie]

im no expert with casuarina but from what i remember is they can seem dead for a long time before they shoot, i am not sure on how they go with collection, i presume this is a stress related prob.

i would wait it out, try keep the soil moist, and keep in the shade.

JMO


jamie

[Greth]

I lifted two around about Christmas, left one little branch of needles on each so I could see how they were doing. Needles have died back a bit, more on one tree than the other, but still showing some green on both.
I am keeping them with bases immersed in water, its a heatwave here anyway, but I figure drying out will kill them faster than rot. Doing the same with a River Red gum, after all, they enjoy being underwater for part of the year.
My test, and I have no idea how accurate this is, is to wrap my hand around the branch, if it feels cool then it is well hydrated, if it is ambient temp (Whatever you would expect from a dry piece of wood) then the water aint getting up there.
Give them a very long time before you declare them dead, even if they seem to take forever to sprout. I know this phase is painful, lol.

[bonzaidog]

Simon.....sounds like kindling to me.depending on the variety of casuarina,they can be a bit more tricky to remove from it's original position...fear not they are an important bonsai subject,so if this one croaks,get some more! You can take cuttings,air layer or grow from seed sucessfully, so don't give up! .............Dog

[Greth]

Late spring, summer is a good time to look for seed, look for the little cones starting to open, I put them in a plastic container while they drop their seeds. No special treatment to germinate, just plant in a pot and keep moist.
The ones I lifted were bigger, nearly an inch diameter at the base, maybe that gives them a bit more reserve to put out shoots later. I have never had much success with tiny native seedlings, Im experimenting with larger stuff to see if they are actually easier.
Sorry I have used my yukkiest pink pots for these, it is all they are good for.

casurina yamadori.jpg

And now you can see why I chose my signature line.. Ya gotta risk killing things to learn something new.

[simonm]

when is the best time to plant the seeds?
i have a hundred or so of them and i am currently just keeping them in a brown paper bag.

[Greth]

Now will do, a lot of Australian natives are not too fussy about seasons, they just grow as soon as they have enough water. Warm soil will mean a good rate of success too.

[simonm]

i will give it a try soon then, i have had a brief look at how to grow them but is there any tips?

[Greth]

Not really from me, i just used a fine potting mix/seed mix, plonked them in, watered and got a reasonable success rate, maybe there are tricks to do better, but it was a good enough result.

[bonscythe]

I planted some collected Casuarina seed last spring and now have 30cm seedlings. I planted in a sandy mix and got really good results. Just gotta watch out for damping off. Also, I don't know if it is good practice but I made sure the sand was a bit damp before I planted the seed in rows as the action of watering on the sand+seed seems to wash them around a bit.
Good luck

[dicko]

i have a collected casaurina in coarse sand about two inch base i have watered every day for eight months it has no leaf just the trunk have allways thought it dead until yesterday when I lifted the pot and found roots growing under it never give up on them am hoping it will bud soon anyone know how to speed it up like to hear chears

[Greth]

cheering news Dicko, one of mine still has green too, and its been more than a month, so will keep it wet and keep hoping.

[simonm]

mine is looking well and truly dead unfortunatly, the wood is losing its green under the bark and it is dry and brittle. but seeing as i have no need for the pot its in it will be staying where it is.

[Ryan1979b]

I dug up a few root suckers, with virtually no rots at all & pot & placed them in water tray. I kept them very wet and they bounced back brilliantly.

I think moisture is the key with these fellas.

Here is a photo of when it was first potted, unfortunately the leader shown died of but a lot more shoots have been produce & a new leader has been wired. I will try & get a photo up soon



Cheers